In The Name Of

There is so much that we do, often in starting something or in finishing something, when we make the sign of the cross and say:

 In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.

We pray this for all sorts of events, occasions, and rituals, at beginnings and at endings  –  for trips, tasks, meals, classes, meetings, confessions, Mass, games, sports, blessings, and more. And often we do this in public, not only in private, not only in church.

Why “In the name of . . .”?  Why not simply, “Father, Son, and Holy Spirit”?

And, if we start to do something and say we are going to do it “In the name of God,” how do we proceed? How do we do it? How should we do it?

Names:  Reality

When God created things, He said a word, their name, and it was so. What He said came into existence, into reality. When Moses asked God what name he should tell the Israelites is the name of God, God said His name:

God said to Moses, “I am who am.  This is what you are to say to the Israelites: ‘I AM  has sent me to you.’ (Exodus 3: 13-14).

In saying this is His name, God is saying He IS. God did not use the past tense of the verb to be, I was, nor the present tense, I will be. He spoke in the present. He IS, for all time and for all eternity.

Jesus uses the God name, I AM, for Himself:

I tell you the truth,” Jesus answered, “before Abraham was born, I am!” (John 8:49-58)

But Jesus remained silent and gave no answer.Again the high priest asked him, “Are you the Messiah, the Son of the Blessed One?” “I am,” said Jesus. “And you will see the Son of Man sitting at the right hand of the Mighty One and coming on the clouds of heaven.(John 8:61-62)

For unless you believe that I am, you will die in your sins. (John 8:24).

In today’s world, it is an awesome declaration, every time we say and make the Sign of the Cross, that God Is !  The Father IS, the Son Jesus IS, the Holy Spirit IS! This flies in the face of everyone, every nation, every entity, and every government that says God is not. It is particularly odious to those people and governments who ban the making of this declaration in public, ban physically making the Sign of the Cross, and ban the saying of these few words.

A Person’s Name:  Who The Person Is

A person’s name is who they are. A person’s name is their reality and says who they are in created reality. It says who they are in themselves, in a family, in the context of their community, in their personal history, and in the world.  “As his name, so is he” (I Samuel 25:25).

Often in the Bible, when a person dramatically changes, he receives a new name – he becomes a new reality.

• Abram – Abraham (Genesis 17:5)
• Jacob – Israel (Genesis 35:10)
• Simon – Peter (Matthew 16:17-18)
• Saul – Paul (Acts 13:9).

Sacramental Names

Each baptized person goes through a dramatic change, a sacramental change, being washed free of the stain of original sin. During the ritual of the sacrament, each person baptized receives a name. This baptismal name is the name of a new person, signifying that the person is now a new creation.

The baptismal rite begins in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit and these are the words that are said as the child (or adult) is baptized. The priest reminds those present that “After his resurrection Jesus told his disciples: ‘Go out and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit’.” He then announces that the person being baptized, and all those who are baptized, are called by God to “Go out and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.”

The baptismal commission to tell the world the good news in the name of God, agreed to by the parents and godparents in baptism, is confirmed by the person baptized when he or she, receiving the sacrament of Confirmation, chooses a new name.  A confirmation name symbolizes the person’s acceptance of the call to be a new creation in Christ through the power of the holy Spirit and to spread the gospel in the name of God.

Becoming Your Own I AM

Some decide to ignore their sacramental call to act in the name of God. They say me-me-me now-now-now. They say, ‘I am.’ ” In their hubris, they truly believe that they can act in their own name. They foolishly think they can make reality. Without exception, each person who has done this has died or will die. Often in this life, but certainly in the next, they will come to know that God Is and that their feeble attempts at making any reality were doomed.

Power Of Being Sent In God’s Name

When a person is authorized or commissioned to do something in the name of another person, they do it not only representing that person but also with that other person’s status, authority and power.  Such a person, acting in the name of someone else, is not a mere messenger delivering a message. Such a person can act on behalf of the person who sent him or her. He or she can act with power.  He or she acts as if the person who sent him or her was present at that moment.

Every person who receives the sacraments of baptism and confirmation is empowered, enlisted, and commissioned to say, pray, proclaim, and invoke the name of God and to act in His name. 

So How Does One Act In The Name Of God?

When God does anything He does it well – perfectly. Not halfway, not haphazardly, not lackadaisically, God does His divine best. It is a common occurrence that an athlete or a person involved in a sport will make the Sign of The Cross and, out loud or silently, say the words,” In the name of . . “. Runners getting ready to run, divers on the board getting ready to dive, a soccer player getting ready to make a free kick, and a batter getting ready for his turn at bat in a baseball game – their prayer with those simple words, “In the name of . . .’,  is to do whatever it is the absolute best that they can do. Also common is for such persons to do this after they have performed well, sometimes publicly on their knees.

We cannot do anything divinely perfectly; but when we say we are going to do something “In the Name of God,” we are like those athletes saying that, with God’s help and grace, we will do whatever it is as well as we can do it. This acknowledges our baptismal commissioning and our own personal confirmation that this is how we will spread the gospel.

When such actions are directed to the good of others, saying the words of the Sign of the Cross is like a promise that you will see and act in accord with the knowledge that the other person is a son or a daughter of God, and that when you do the action, you will do it as much as possible as He would in loving His child.

Choosing freely to act in His name, you ask for His power to make in this world something that is as good as you can make it, something only you can make, and something that results in a new reality that brings glory to His name.